De la critique de l'asile à la gestion de l'offre en santé mentale : Une désinstitutionnalisation à la française de la psychiatrie ?

Abstract

Debates on psychiatric practices often refer to the expression "institution" whose hospital is iconic. Characterized by sectorisation policy, the reform of psychiatry in France does not originate a priori from a "deinstitutionalization", expression generally used in the Anglo-Saxon countries to describe the psychiatric asylum closure policy. This article however provides elements suggesting that there is an actual deinstitutionalization of psychiatric practices. From the example of the Vinatier hospital, it shows that the developments of psychiatric care were regulated through a double process of psychiatric mandate reduction and harmonization of health policies.